Living With Tuberculosis: Learn The Facts Now!

Prognosis For Patients

In general, the prognosis for patients living with tuberculosis depends on their overall health and whether they have received a diagnosis and subsequent treatment. If the tuberculosis patient is generally healthy otherwise and receives and completes treatment, they have a good prognosis with a very low recurrence rate of the disease at only zero to fourteen percent. However, if the individual’s immune system is compromised, such as in those who are HIV positive, have had a prior bout with tuberculosis or are elderly, or if their tuberculosis is drug-resistant, the prognosis is not as good.

Complications Linked To Tuberculosis

Patients must receive treatment for tuberculosis promptly as it can be deadly. While the disease generally affects the lungs, it can also spread to other areas of the body through the bloodstream. Complications of tuberculosis include disorders of the heart that involve fluid amassing around it, causing the heart to ineffectively pump. This can be a fatal complication. Patients may also experience back and spinal pain, arthritis that typically affects the knees and hips, kidney and liver problems that can prevent their body from adequately eliminating waste and meningitis, a serious brain condition. Meningitis results in swelling of the membranes of the brain, which can lead to a persistent headache and changes in the patient's mental faculties.